Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk here?

No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference-point system at all. The resident elk draw for this area is random, with no points required and no point cutoff. Nonresidents, however, do use preference points in a different pool—three quarters of nonresident licences are awarded top-down by points, and a quarter go to a random draw.

How much of this hunt area is public land?

Public land—BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest—comprises about 84 percent of the area, or roughly 1,016 square miles. Private land makes up the remaining 16 percent, much of it concentrated in the Beaver Creek and Twin Creek drainages. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still limit where a hunter can actually reach despite that public share.

Which walk-in areas are available in this hunt area?

Fremont County Walk-In Areas 2, 17, 22 and 27 are located in hunt area 25. These areas require no permission slip or application—a hunter may walk in during the posted open periods, subject to the rules posted at each area. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability can change.

When does the rut happen in this hunt area?

Elk rut in this area typically peaks in late September. The earliest seasons—Type 1 and Type 4 archery, which run September 1–30—coincide with the onset and primary rut. Type 1 and Type 4 regular seasons in October catch the late rut and post-rut phases, while later hunts in November and the August-September Type 7 season occur at different rut stages.

Wyoming Hunt Area 25 (South Pass) elk hunting

Licence

Limited quota — drawn

Open public land

84%

Elevation

5,100–8,700 ft

Terrain

Gentle

Hunt area 25 spans 1,214 square miles of diverse country, from forested ridges near Atlantic City down through rolling sagebrush foothills to broad, open steppe and desert flats in the east. Elevations range from 5,100 to 8,700 feet, with most ground sitting around 6,800 feet. The terrain is gentle overall, with 85 percent of slopes running 5 degrees or less. Sagebrush dominates across the area—from 88 percent of lower-elevation cover to 93 percent in the high country—and the scattered network of creeks, ephemeral streams and the Popo Agie and Sweetwater Rivers provides reliable water sources from the high forest down to the flats. Elk are found throughout the hunt area except north of U.S. Highway 287, and most are yearlong residents rather than seasonal migrants.

Much of this country is remote and far from services or cell coverage. Road conditions vary sharply: in sandy country, routes often remain passable with light precipitation, but roads in siltier drainages like Beaver Creek and Twin Creek can become impassable mud when wet. The Beaver Creek and Twin Creek drainages hold concentrations of elk but are mixed with private land where public access is very limited, and hunting pressure frequently pushes elk across property lines or into adjacent areas. Public land comprises about 84 percent of the hunt area and provides the foundation for access, though roads, trailheads and private inholdings still constrain where a hunter can reliably reach. Several walk-in areas offer entry onto private ground during open periods without need for permission.

Fall weather swings from mild and dry to cold and snowy. September typically sees highs around 70 degrees with little precipitation, but October drops to 55-degree highs and brings monthly snowfall averaging 2.2 inches. November cools further to 41 degrees and can see 6.3 inches, and these fall storms can push elk out of higher elevations, though most of the area's elk stay yearlong and do not migrate far.

Licence and how this hunt area is drawn

Hunt Area 25 (South Pass) is limited quota. A licence for it must be drawn for this hunt area specifically, by resident and nonresident alike. A region licence does not reach it — a region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, so there is no fallback for this hunt.

Wyoming residents have no preference points for elk — the resident elk draw is random, and no resident point cutoff exists for any hunt area in the state. For nonresidents points matter a great deal: Wyoming awards 75% of each nonresident pool through the preference-point draw, top-down by points, and the remaining 25% at random. Nonresidents also choose between the Regular and Special pools — the same hunts at two price points, competing separately.

Seasons (2026)

Type 1 · Any elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 1 – October 31
Type 4 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 10 – October 31
Type 5 · Antlerless elk
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular October 21 – November 10
Type 6 · Cow or calf valid north of the Sweetwater River
Archery September 1 – September 30Regular November 1 – November 20
Type 7 · Cow or calf valid on or within one-half (1/2) mile of private land adjoining the Sweetwater River in Area 25 and Area 100 west of the Three Forks-Atlantic City Road (Fremont County Road 512 and B.L.M. Road 2317)
Regular August 15 – September 30

The wording of each hunt is the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s and is legally exact — a “cow or calf” hunt is not a elk hunt in general, and a hunt limited to part of the area is not valid across it. Confirm every hunt in the current regulations before applying.

Hunting each season

Type 1 — Any elk (September–October)

Type 1 archery runs September 1–30 through the early and primary rut, when bulls are actively bugling and responding to calls across the hunt area. Weather is mild, with highs around 70 degrees and virtually no precipitation, making for comfortable hiking but also long daylight that favors hunting early and late. Type 1 regular hunting, October 1–31, coincides with the late rut and post-rut recovery as bulls exhaust themselves and movement patterns shift. October cooling brings highs dropping to 55 degrees and the first significant snowfall, averaging 2.2 inches for the month, which can make roads muddy and treacherous—especially in silt-heavy drainages like Beaver Creek and Twin Creek—while sandy country often remains passable. Any-elk hunts on public land are open throughout the area except north of U.S. Highway 287.

Type 4 — Antlerless elk (September–October)

Type 4 antlerless archery, September 1–30, runs through the early and primary rut when elk are actively moving and cows are concentrated during the breeding phase. The mild September weather—highs around 70 degrees with minimal precipitation—allows hunters to cover ground and glass distant country. Type 4 regular hunting, October 10–31, spans the late rut transition and post-rut recovery as bulls drop back and cows begin moving away from breeding areas. October weather cools to 55-degree highs and brings 2.2 inches of average monthly snowfall, potentially making roads impassable in muddy drainages while keeping sandy routes drivable. This hunt is restricted to antlerless elk on public land throughout the area except north of Highway 287.

Type 5 — Antlerless elk (September–November)

The Type 5 antlerless season spans archery September 1–30 and regular October 21–November 10, covering the late and early-primary rut through the migration period. Archery takes place in September's mild weather near 70-degree highs, when bulls are actively working and cows remain concentrated. The regular season extends into November, when temperature drops to 41-degree highs and snowfall can reach 6.3 inches for the month—conditions that can trigger movement out of higher elevations and make road travel unpredictable. Antlerless elk are valid throughout the area except north of Highway 287.

Type 6 — Cow or calf valid north of the… (September–November)

Type 6 hunting spans archery September 1–30 and regular November 1–20, though the harvest of cow or calf is restricted to country north of the Sweetwater River. September archery coincides with the early and primary rut when bulls are active and cows move freely, with mild weather favoring glassing and hiking. November regular hunting falls during migration transition when cooling temperatures and increasing snowfall—averaging 6.3 inches for the month—can push elk from higher elevations. The area restriction to north of the Sweetwater River reduces the valid hunting ground substantially compared to some other seasons.

Type 7 — Cow or calf valid on or within… (August–September)

Type 7 is a cow-or-calf hunt on regular seasons only, August 15–September 30, and it is geographically restricted to private land adjoining the Sweetwater River in hunt area 25 and area 100 west of the Three Forks–Atlantic City Road. This season spans the velvet period through the primary rut, with August weather still warm and dry—highs around 80 degrees—and September cooling gradually to 70 degrees with minimal precipitation. Access to this hunt requires reaching the specific private-land strips along the Sweetwater, which limits where a hunter can legally hunt despite the season's long window.

Land and access

BLM75%

Generally open to public hunting

private land16%

Private

State Trust Land9%

Generally open to public hunting

About 84% of this hunt area is ground a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest, roughly 1,016 square miles. Public ownership is not the same as easy entry: roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings all still apply.

State trust land counts toward the open figure above. Wyoming extends hunting on legally accessiblestate trust land to the public unless a parcel is specifically closed — the catch is the access itself, since crossing private ground to reach it still needs the landowner’s permission. Camping, fires and off-road vehicles are not allowed on it.

This hunt area has 4 enrolled walk-in areas. That is private ground enrolled for public access, not public land. A Walk-In Area needs no permission slip — a hunter may walk in during the open period, subject to its posted rules. Enrollment is renegotiated every year, so check current status before counting on either.

Where elk are mapped

Yearlong Range25%

the only layer that means year-round use

Winter Range24%

used in winter

Crucial Winter Range10%

the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it

Each figure is the share of the hunt area that layer covers. It says where elk are mapped, not where inside the area they are, and not when they move.

Habitat and cover

Lower elevations

Sagebrush88%

Other cover6%

Grass and meadow4%

Riparian2%

Mid elevations

Sagebrush94%

Grass and meadow3%

Riparian2%

Other cover1%

Higher elevations

Sagebrush93%

Conifer3%

Riparian2%

Grass and meadow2%

Shares are of each elevation band, not of the whole hunt area — they describe what grows up there, not how much of the area sits at that elevation.

Weather through the season

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Snowfall
January	31°F	10°F	8.6 in
February	34°F	11°F	7.2 in
March	44°F	20°F	6 in
April	52°F	26°F	4.2 in
May	62°F	35°F	0.3 in
June	73°F	43°F	0 in
July	82°F	51°F	0 in
August	80°F	49°F	0 in
September	70°F	40°F	0.1 in
October	55°F	29°F	2.2 in
November	41°F	19°F	6.3 in
December	31°F	10°F	9 in

Snowfall is the monthly total, not depth lying on the ground.

Common questions

Can a hunter with a region licence hunt this area?: No. Hunt area 25 is a limited-quota area drawn individually for residents and nonresidents alike. A region licence is valid only in the general-licence areas of its region, not in limited-quota hunt areas, so a region licence does not cover this ground.
Do Wyoming residents need preference points for elk here?: No. Wyoming residents have no elk preference-point system at all. The resident elk draw for this area is random, with no points required and no point cutoff. Nonresidents, however, do use preference points in a different pool—three quarters of nonresident licences are awarded top-down by points, and a quarter go to a random draw.
How much of this hunt area is public land?: Public land—BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest—comprises about 84 percent of the area, or roughly 1,016 square miles. Private land makes up the remaining 16 percent, much of it concentrated in the Beaver Creek and Twin Creek drainages. Roads, trailheads, seasonal closures and private inholdings still limit where a hunter can actually reach despite that public share.
Which walk-in areas are available in this hunt area?: Fremont County Walk-In Areas 2, 17, 22 and 27 are located in hunt area 25. These areas require no permission slip or application—a hunter may walk in during the posted open periods, subject to the rules posted at each area. Enrollment is renegotiated annually, so availability can change.
When does the rut happen in this hunt area?: Elk rut in this area typically peaks in late September. The earliest seasons—Type 1 and Type 4 archery, which run September 1–30—coincide with the onset and primary rut. Type 1 and Type 4 regular seasons in October catch the late rut and post-rut phases, while later hunts in November and the August-September Type 7 season occur at different rut stages.

Sources

Wyoming Game & Fish — Hunting & Trapping — licence types, general and limited-quota hunts, and season structure
WGFD Hunt Planner — hunt-area boundaries, season dates and the unit descriptions
WGFD — Draw results and odds — how the resident random draw and the nonresident preference-point draw work
WGFD — Regulations — the legal limitations on each hunt, and the statewide licence rules
USGS National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2021) and 3DEP elevation — land cover and terrain by elevation band

Seasons, licence types and boundaries change. Confirm every detail with the Wyoming Game & Fish Department before applying or hunting.

All Wyoming elk hunt areas